Fkanklin i



F. I. MAY.

Grain Separator.

No. 24,812. Patented July 19, 1859.

Wp zn esss -7,, 2/6 n 2a 2' M UNITED STATES PATENT oEEioE.

FRANKLIN I. MAY, OF BEVERLY, NEW JERSEY.

GRAI N-SEPARAT OR.

Specification of Letters Patent No. 24,812, dated July 19, 1859;

T 0 all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, FRANKLIN I. MAY, of Beverly, in the county of Burlington and State of New Jersey, have invented a new and useful Improvement in VVinnowers or GraimSeparators; and I do hereby declare that the following is a full, clear, and exact description of the construction and operation of the same, reference being had to the annexed drawings, making a part of this specification, in which Figure 1, represents a vertical longitudinal section of a winnower with the improvement applied; Fig. 2, a sectional plan view of that part of the same which contains the screens and grain guides; and Fig. 3, a plan view of the adjustable bottom of the hop per, like letters in the different figures indicating the same objects.

My invention has for its objects the more expeditious and perfect separation of wheat, rye, &c., from chafl, cheat, cockle, gravel and other depreciating substances, and without impairing the machine for separating oats, peas and such articles from their chaff, hulls, &c.; and consists in the combination of two side, or supplemental, inclined planes with the short inclined plane, which leads into the rotary screen, and two adjustable guides thereon, for conducting out such grain, seeds, &c., as do not require to be passed through the rotary screen; and in providing the usual shaker with a sliding, conducting-board, which is so arranged as to admit of being adjusted so as to operate in combination with either of its flat screens, for the purpose of conducting the articles which are to be cleaned, from the hopper farther toward the outer end of the same than heretofore, and also for the purpose of contracting the orifice for the escape of the current of air produced. by the usual fan, so as to more effectually cause the said current to carry out the cheat and light grains, with the chaff and dust.

In the drawings, A, is the rotary screen; B, its supplying inclined-plane; C and C the two, side or supplementary inclined planes; D, the receiving and retaining drawer; E, the adjustable sliding board which operates in combination with the screens of the usual shaker (E) F, the adjustable leg under the rear end of the machine; and, G, the adjustable perforated bottom of the hopper.

The rotary screen (A) is made in the form of a hollow frustum of a cone, and is supported by arms g-g, on a shaft, h, in a horizontal position and with its larger diameter in front, and receives its rotary motion from the pulley, i, which is fixed on the usual fan-shaft, 76, through the media of the band or cord, Z, pulley m, and bevel pinion n, the latter gearing into a bevel wheel, 0, which is fixed on the shaft, 10, and which latter has an angular hole in its opposite end which receives the correspondinglyformed end, h, of the rotary-screen shaft (h), the shafts h, and 22, being constructed with this joint, and the bearing piece, 71/, being made removable, for the purpose of admitting of a convenient and ready withdrawal of one, and the substitution of another, rotary screen of different sized meshes as the various kinds of grain to be cleaned thereby, may require. The inclined plane (B) projects into the smaller end of the rotary screen (A) to a little beyond the inclined inner edge of the rim, q, so as to cause it to discharge the grain, &c., which it conducts, within the screen; and the said screen (A) is geared so as to receive about two rotations upon its axis, for every full revolution of the crank handle whereby operation is given to the whole machine. 111 the operation of this part of my invention, the contents of the screen (A) are so thoroughly agitated and rolled around therein as to effectually remove all cockle, gravel, &c., before it can reach the outlet for the grain, which result cannot be effected by the usual flat screen fixed in the inclined plane as heretofore.

The side, or supplementary, inclined planes (C and 0) lead down to the usual outlet by passing clear of the sides of the rotary screen (A) as seen in Fig. 2, their upper ends connecting laterally with, and forming part of, the upper end of the short plane (B) and at these places of their junction there are two adjustable, guiding strips, 1" and 1*, which turn upon pivots, s and s, and are made of such a length as when properly adjusted, as shown in Fig. 2, to produce with the continuation pieces, t and t respectively, the diagonal planes (1" and 7") for guiding the grain, &c., which falls from the usual shaker screen (E") above, into the short plane or spout (B) which enters the rotary screen (A) or, when turned or adjusted to the positions shown by the dotted lines 1", r', to guide the oats, peas, and such other articles as do not require to enter the rotary screen (A), into the side or supplementary outlet planes (C and O).

The receiving and retaining drawer (D) is made in width nearly equal to the length of the rotary screen (A), and, when in place, extends across the machine and directly beneath the said rotary screen (A), being supported by tongues and grooves, in awell known manner, by means of the pendent piece, a, and the front cross piece 4;.

The adjustable, sliding-boardfE) of the shaker (E) is a flat, thin board which is adapted to slide in longitudinal grooves w, w, which decline toward the open end of the shaker (E), and intersect, at acute angles, the grooves w and as, so that it can be adjusted in relation to the screens in either of the grooves, 00, w, m, in such a manner as to cause the substances which are to be separated or cleaned, to fall, near the open end of the shaker (13)), upon the usual subjacent screens in the grooves and w), and thus have the benefit of passing over a greater length of the said screens than heretofore, and so, efiecting a more perfect result; and also, by thus narrowing the outlet for the blast, to increase its velocityand so, better effect the entire removal thereby of all light grains with the chaff, &c.

The adjustable leg (F) is made of metal, and is supported in a vertical position, as shown in Fig. 1, between the two usual rear legs of the machine, by means of the two cross-pieces, y and 3 ,which connect the two usual legs together, the lower end of the said adjustable leg (F) being in contact with the floor, and the upper end having a screw thread, cut around it, which works in a fixed screw plate, 2, and carries a j am-nut, z, for setting it fast. Between these ends, the hand-levers 1-1, are fixed to the said leg (F), whereby it can be rotated so as to cause it to raise the rear end of the'machine sufliciently to free the two usual rear legs, and so, cause the whole weight of the machine to rest upon the said adjustable leg (F) and the two usual front legs; and

ously, as shown in Figs. 1 and 3, whereby the passage of the grain from the hopper, in a second cleaning, can be controlled in a more perfect manner.

The mode of operation of these devices, and their superior utility for accomplishing the objects specified, will be clearly understood and appreciated by any one acquainted with the devices heretofore used for the same purposes, from the preceding description, and therefore any further remarks in relation to those points, it is believed, would be considered superfluous.

Having, therefore, fully described my improvement in winnowers or grain separators, what I claim as new therein, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is confined to the following particulars, viz:

1. I claim the two side, or supplementary, inclined planes (C and C), in combination with the short inclined plane (B) and the two adjustable guides (1', and r,) the same being constructed and arranged together so as to operate substantially as and for the purposes described and set forth.

2. I claim the employment of the sliding board in the shaker (E), when the said board is arranged to operate in combination with the screens therein, in the manner (16-.

scribed, and for the purpose of better preparing the grain, &c., for the inclined planes (B, C, and C',) and the rotary screen (A), as described and set forth.

FRANKLIN I. MAY. l/Vitnesses:

BENJ. MomusoN, JNo. B.. KENNEY. 

